VANCOUVER/KINSHASA — September 1, 2026 — Canadian-listed mining company DRC Gold Corp. has signed a detailed option agreement that could give it a majority interest in Giro Goldfields SARL, strengthening the company's push into gold projects in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
DRC Gold announced the agreement on September 1, saying it was signed on August 25, 2026, with Amani Consulting SARL, Giro Goldfields SARL and Mabanga Mining SARL.
The new agreement replaces an earlier binding term sheet announced in February and amended in May.
Under the deal, DRC Gold has been granted a first option to acquire a 55% registered and beneficial interest in Giro Goldfields from Amani Consulting.
Amani currently owns 65% of Giro Goldfields, while Congolese state mining company Société Minière de Kilo-Moto, or SOKIMO, owns the remaining 35%.
The transaction has not yet been completed.
DRC Gold still needs approval from its shareholders and acceptance from the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). The transfer also has to satisfy Congolese corporate requirements under OHADA law, including approval from Giro Goldfields shareholders — including SOKIMO — amendments to the company's articles, notarial formalities and registration with the RCCM.
Read the September 1 DRC Gold announcement via TMX Newsfile
Deal Puts Major Haut-Uélé Gold Project in Focus
Giro Goldfields holds the Giro Gold Project, located in Haut-Uélé Province within the Kilo-Moto Greenstone Belt.
MINING AND MINERALS
DRC Gold Signs Option Deal for 55% Stake in Giro Goldfields
Sep 1, 2026
Sep 1, 2026
6 min read
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Updated:
VANCOUVER/KINSHASA — September 1, 2026 — Canadian-listed mining company DRC Gold Corp. has signed a detailed option agreement that could give it a majority interest in Giro Goldfields SARL, strengthening the company's push into gold projects in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
DRC Gold announced the agreement on September 1, saying it was signed on August 25, 2026, with Amani Consulting SARL, Giro Goldfields SARL and Mabanga Mining SARL.
The new agreement replaces an earlier binding term sheet announced in February and amended in May.
Under the deal, DRC Gold has been granted a first option to acquire a 55% registered and beneficial interest in Giro Goldfields from Amani Consulting.
Amani currently owns 65% of Giro Goldfields, while Congolese state mining company Société Minière de Kilo-Moto, or SOKIMO, owns the remaining 35%.
The transaction has not yet been completed.
DRC Gold still needs approval from its shareholders and acceptance from the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). The transfer also has to satisfy Congolese corporate requirements under OHADA law, including approval from Giro Goldfields shareholders — including SOKIMO — amendments to the company's articles, notarial formalities and registration with the RCCM.
Read the September 1 DRC Gold announcement via TMX Newsfile
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Deal Puts Major Haut-Uélé Gold Project in Focus
Giro Goldfields holds the Giro Gold Project, located in Haut-Uélé Province within the Kilo-Moto Greenstone Belt.
The project consists of exploitation permits PE 5046 and PE 5049, covering approximately 497 square kilometres.
It lies about 35 kilometres west of the Kibali gold mine, one of Africa's major gold operations.
One of Giro's principal deposits, Kebigada, has a historical JORC 2012 mineral-resource estimate of approximately 123.7 million tonnes grading 1.03 grams of gold per tonne, equivalent to roughly 4.1 million ounces of contained gold.
However, DRC Gold stresses that this is a historical estimate and not a current mineral-resource estimate. Additional technical work would be required before it could be treated as a current resource for investment or mine-development decisions.
The company says its objective is eventually to move the Giro project toward production.
DRC Gold CEO Klaus Eckhof said the company had completed due diligence with the other parties and is now seeking the approvals necessary to acquire the initial 55% stake.
The company also said it intends to pursue additional gold assets in northeastern DRC.
Ituri's Nizi Project Is Also Connected to the Transaction
The agreement also has implications for the Nizi Gold Project in Ituri Province.
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Nizi consists of exploitation licence PE 5110, covering approximately 113 square kilometres in the Kilo-Moto Goldfields, around 26.5 kilometres north-northeast of Bunia.
According to DRC Gold's announcement, Giro Goldfields is the intended transferee of the Nizi exploitation permit under a permit-transfer agreement involving SOKIMO.
The licence area includes the historic King Leopold Gold Mine, an abandoned underground operation where several major quartz-gold veins have previously been identified.
DRC Gold believes modern exploration could identify both high-grade vein-hosted and larger lower-grade gold mineralisation at Nizi, although that remains an exploration thesis rather than a confirmed new resource.
How the 55% Acquisition Would Work
The first option involves a substantial share-based transaction.
DRC Gold previously issued 25 million common shares to Vertex Wealth Limited in May as part of the arrangement.
To exercise the first option fully, the company would issue an additional 325 million shares to Amani Consulting or its nominee after obtaining the required shareholder and CSE approvals.
The agreement gives the parties up to 12 months from August 25 to satisfy the relevant conditions.
Completion of the first option would constitute both a change of control and a Fundamental Change under Canadian Securities Exchange rules.
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DRC Gold's shares would consequently enter a trading halt when the first option is fully exercised, with the halt expected to remain until the transaction closes.
Earlier CSE filings confirm that the transaction evolved from a February 2026 agreement that contemplated DRC Gold acquiring majority interests in both Giro and Nizi. In May, the company confirmed that the initial 25 million shares had been issued as the parties continued working toward the definitive agreement.
See the February 2026 filing on the Canadian Securities Exchange
Why the Deal Matters for the DRC
The agreement is significant because it represents another foreign-capital push into the Kilo-Moto gold belt spanning Haut-Uélé and Ituri, an area already home to some of the DRC's most important gold deposits.
If the transaction receives the required approvals and DRC Gold advances Giro toward production, future development could create demand for drilling, engineering, construction, logistics, equipment, security, accommodation and other mining-support services.
For Congolese authorities and local communities, the more important questions will come later: how quickly exploration moves forward, how much capital is committed, what employment and procurement opportunities are created locally, and how SOKIMO's continuing interest is managed.
For investors, the next milestones to watch are DRC Gold shareholder approval, CSE acceptance, SOKIMO and Giro Goldfields shareholder approval, completion of Congolese corporate formalities and the eventual closing of the transaction.
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